Universal-joint assembly



Dec. 6, 192 7. I

(3. E. SWENSON UNIVERSAL JOINT ASSEMBLY- Filed Jan.- 5. 1925 Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

* rcsrssa am. E. SWENSON, or noo ronn, ILLInoIs, nssrenoaor onn-roumnz ro cAni. 1..

ANDERSON, ONE-FOURTH rro LEVIN FAUST, AND onn-ronn'rn'ro ERIC s. EK-I 's'rnomor aocxronn, rumors.

UNIVERSAL-JOINT Assam Application filed January 1925'; Seria1 1 \To.: i85.

This invention relates in general to the propeller shaft group of a motor vehicle and has more particular reference to what is known" as the universal-jolnt assembly,

5 y Heretofore it has been. customary to connect thetransmission or equivalent shaft withthe axle-driving shaft through the intermediary of a universal-joint assembly comprising a'front anda rear unlversal-" joint andan interposedpropeller shaft or,

tube, the front universal-joint being connected to the transmission shaft and; the rear universal joint to the axle shaft. The conventional connection between the trans- I mission and' axle shafts and the adjoining yokes of the front and rear universal'joints comprised flangedcoupling members bolted, together. Ifany other construction were employed it became necessary, so far as I am aware, to disassemble'either one or both 1 'ofthe universal joints when installing or removing them. 3 My .present invention aims to {simplify and improve the construction of universaljoint assemblies with the view first toreduce the "cost of. production thereof and secondly to facilitate the installation and dismantling-of such assemblies. vThe first purpose is accomplished by eliminatmg at least one set of flanged couplmg members, and the second by the provision of certain improvementsin; the construction and organization of parts whereby the unlversaljoint assembly may be installed or removed from position without disassembling either one of the universal-joints.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in this art as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of a universaljoint assembly, embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the rear universal joint showing its connection to the propeller shaft and the axle-driving shaft; and

Fig. 3, is a cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.2.

The principal parts of the propeller shaft group are the propeller shaft or tube 4, the

front universal joint 5 connected to the; front end of the propeller shaft, and the rear universal jointti connectedto. the rear l end of the interposed between andconnectedto j the} junira sures; PATENT (om 6 propeller shaft. These parts are transmission" shaft 7 and the axle-"driving Shaft '8, or eq ent shafts- I These shaft are in normally fixed, spacedrelation.

It is the purpose of the present invention as explained briefly above to provide, a prac tical assemblyof said :narts whereby they may beinstalled or'removed, with the respective Yuniversal-joints intact, that is, without the necessity ofv disassembling them or any parts thereof, alsoto eliminate at least-oneof the flanged couplings heretofore employed in'constructionsof this kind. The

universal-joints per se m'ight be of any suitable construction, preferably :of the trune nion type having terminal yoks. .Thepar ticulaii universalejoint shown herein isone of the trunnion type in which the trunnions. are carried'fby the ,yokesj'and connected by aring, the construction shown constituting the subject matter d'atedoelpril 3,1923. I Whilethe conventional mechanical universal-joint'fis ,of the trunnion type, j the nal okes or a center crossin which case the to anyfuniversal jointlj In the present embodiment of my inventherefore, befr eferred to-herein applying o Patent,No.'.1,45Q,70 7

.trunnion bearings are carried-bythe termition I employ a single flanged coupling or connection between one of the universaljoints and either the tween the driving or transmission shaft 7 and the adjoining yoke or terminal coupling member 9 of the front universal-joint. This connection comprises a flange 11 suitably secured to the shaft 7 and a complem'ental flange 12 integral with the yoke 9, the

flanges being suitably secured together as by bolts 13. The rear yoke of the front universal-joint may be suitably connected to 'is directly connected to the axle-driving 7 driving or driven shaft, 1n this case the flanged connectlon being be-- shaft 8. To this end the hub 16 of the rear so trunnions being 'carried either bythe termiv yoke taperedto; fitvon the =:tapered' end 17 of said shaft 8, is connected thereto by a=key 18 and a nut 19 screwed onto the threadedend 21 of the shaft; A split-lock washer22: interposed between theyoke'hub 16: and: the 1 nut prevents loosening of the latter. This nut may be screwed on or ofi in the manner presently described. The front/310M 23. of: this universal-joint has a slip connectlon to the rear end of the propeller shaft P3 In i [this instance the yoke 23 has a hub 2. L inte nally splined to receive the 'sp'lined end? 25 of? the propeller shaft. Thehub 24 is slotted? longitudinally at 26 and one or more clamp ving' bolts 27 are'p'assed diametrically through the hub and shaft'to clamp the former'tothe latter and'to insure; a v rigid connection b tween these parts.

a To remove the universal-joint assembly: described the bolts 13 will first be removed;

therebyv allowingthe front end of'the' assembly to belowered, the necessary clearance' between the flanges'll and 12' being afforded a certain amount' of play provided for inthe propeller-shaft slip joint as is well known inthis art. The bolts 27 will' then be removed' thereby permitting, removal" of the I propeller shaft and front universal jloint as shaft forwardly signsand of.

withdrawing the propeller from the yoke hub' 245; A

inserted through said hub 24 for removing the nut119'. This toolmay either; be a large screw driver adapted to enter a slot 28' in the castellated nut or. it may be a spanner wrench adapted to fitLover the-nut- The former construction is prean entirety by toolmay now be ferred with the present design of universaljoint because the dimensionsthereofpracti cally prohibit the use of a spanner'wrench, whereaswith universal-joints of other dea. larger size it will be manifest that clearancemay be provided around the nut fQPI'GCBPtlOII'OfthB Wrench head; Upon I removing the nut 19 the rear universal-j oint may obviously be removed as an entirety.

Toinstall the assembly these steps or operationswillobviously be reversed. H

of the foregoing construction i A universaljoint assembly for connecting fixedly spaced but" relatively movable driv ingand driven shafts; the. said assembly comprisingtwo universal" joints for connection -with= the pairof shafts, and an inter-'- mediate floating shaft connecting. the two- Joints; the outer yokeof the one j'OiDt bGi'I-Ig fastened rigidly bymeans of a nut directly to'theone shaft ofthe pair, the inner yokeof said joint affording accesstherethrough' to permit the-application ofthenutonto the threaded end'of-said shaft'to fasten thejoint thereto, the one" end of the intermediate shaft being entered and fastened" rigidly in the inner yoke of said joint when thejoint is in its assembled position; the otherend? of saidiintermed-ifate shaft having a telescoping V fi't in the inner yoke of the other joint; the said yoke beingelongatedto afford the range of telescoping action required in operation; and meansfor fasteningt'he outer yokeof said j'oint to-the end of the other shaft of the pair so as to permit bringing" the parts side wise into coupling relation, comprising pair of coupling flanges; one provided on the yoke of said'j'oi'nt and the other provided on a part fixed on said shaft; and bolts pass ing" through said flangesfor f'asteningthe same-together.

CABLE. swnus'ou; f 

